Eating on The Edge

  In “Eating on the Edge” Horwitz describes how our food culture has changed over the past century. She describes our changing attitudes towards food such as the advent of the snack and how we are moving away from the idea of a meal (Horwitz 42).  It is written in a style that combines the author’s personal experience with researched facts to present his argument. This argument is that as a society we have latched on to “eating on the edge” Horwitz describes this as "occasions when food is an additive to a situation, such as a cigarette would be, rather than being definitive (Horwitz 42)." Horwitz developed his argument by describing examples from starkly different times and places. She begins with the “tv dinner” introduced in the sixties, then moves to multicultural meals on the space station and ends with the nuances of airplane food and cuisine in Brussels. I liked how Horwitz used this style to explore “eating on the edge” from multiple viewpoints. It is easy to read similar essays, describing some obscure aspect of society, and immediately link the argument to here and now. Horwitz ensured that the reader understands that this is a global societal shift that has happened over decades.

  I and most college students would wholeheartedly agree with Horwitz’s argument that meals have become de-centralized and “snacks” have risen in prominence. I think this shift is based mostly on convenience. We live in a world where time is very precious and both students and employees find balancing time more and more difficult. I know in my experience I don’t have the patience or time to sit 3 times a day and eat a full meal with company. It is much easier to grab a burrito to go and eat it on your way to class. There are many benefits that we forgo by choosing snacks and convenience over centralized meals. Snacks tend to be unhealthier and it is easy to eat more of them. We also lose the social connection that happens over a meal, something that is often overlooked. I wish I could hold meals with more importance and savor the health and company, but the fact is, I’m just to busy.